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Monday Morning Quarterback Week 10

Matchup

The Good

The Bad

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Andrew Luck continues to do a good job of making all the throws he needs to make and giving his team a chance to win games. That’s remarkable for a rookie quarterback. He completed 18-of-26 passes against the Jaguars and ran for two touchdowns.

Luck ran the ball seven times and that may be a bit reckless for such a valuable quarterback. Blaine Gabbert aggravated a shoulder injury against the Colts and had to be replaced by Chad Henne. Neither Gabbert nor Henne displayed poise or consistency.

Baltimore Ravens

Oakland Raiders

After a couple of unimpressive efforts, quarterback Joe Flacco was back on top of his game against the Raiders. He completed 21-of-33 passes for 341 yards with 3 TDs. Carson Palmer threw for 368 yards and 2 TDs and attempted to keep the Raiders in the game.

Palmer got most of his yardage when his team was well behind. The blowout loss wasn’t his fault, but he was never in a position to threaten the Ravens.

Peyton Manning continues to put on an outstanding show. His numbers were once again stellar as he completed 27-of-38 passes for 301 yards and a touchdown. However, Manning’s greatness is more about the way he controls the pace of the game, his authority when directing the offense and his confidence.

Can Newton could not follow up after having a good game against the Redskins. He threw for 241 yards and had 2 touchdowns, but he missed open receivers and he also threw two interceptions. His running ability disappeared as he gained 7 yards on 4 attempts.

The Bengals were in desperate shape coming into this game and Andy Dalton was not about to go through the motions this time. He took advantage of the shaky Giants secondary by completing 21-of-30 passes for 199 yards with 4 TDs and 0 interceptions. Bengals fans are wondering where this performance was over the last month.

The Giants have a situation developing. Eli Manning continues to be in a painful slump. He was badly outperformed by Dalton as he threw for just 215 yards and did not have a TD pass while throwing 2 interceptions.

The Titans bounced back from their embarrassing showing against Chicago by routing the Dolphins. Jake Locker took over as game manager and did a good job. While he only threw for 122 yards, he threw 2 TD passes and did not throw an interception.

Ryan Tannehill has been solid throughout his rookie season, but he was unable to get his team out of its malaise. He threw 3 interceptions and did not get the ball in the endzone. Tannehill has avoided rookie mistakes most of the season, but not against the Titans.

Minnesota Vikings

Detroit Lions

A solid bounce-back game for Christian Ponder after some awful performances in recent weeks. He completed 24-of-32 passes for 221 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions. Instead of dinking and dunking the ball, Ponder threw with authority to his receivers and played with confidence.

Matthew Stafford had a good game from a statistical point of view, throwing for 329 yards and 3 TDs. However, when the Lions had a chance to turn the game around in the second half, Stafford was unable to sustain the offense.

A solid bounce-back game for Christian Ponder after some awful performances in recent weeks. He completed 24-of-32 passes for 221 yards with 2 TD passes and 0 interceptions. Instead of dinking and dunking the ball, Ponder threw with authority to his receivers and played with confidence.

Matthew Stafford had a good game from a statistical point of view, throwing for 329 yards and 3 TDs. However, when the Lions had a chance to turn the game around in the second half, Stafford was unable to sustain the offense.

The Saints have shaken off their early-season difficulties and now are going to try to make a late-season playoff run. Drew Brees showed his competence once again, as he threw for 298 yards and 3 TDs in handing the Falcons their first defeat of the season.

It’s hard to fault Matt Ryan after throwing for 411 yards and 3 TDs, but he could not sustain the lead after the Falcons had a 10-0 lead. Ryan was unable to finish off a fourth quarter drive that would have given the Falcons a late lead.

The Bucs look like they have a finely tuned offense at this point in the season. Josh Freeman did not have a huge numbers game, but he completed 14-of-20 passes for 210 yards with 2 TDs and looked like he was strong and in control throughout the game. Philip Rivers threw for 337 yards.

Rivers is one of the streakiest quarterbacks in the game, but he is tightly strung and he seems to lose control. His fourth quarter red zone pass was intercepted and returned 83 yards for a decisive Tampa Bay touchdown.

Russell Wilson plays at a very high level in Seahawks home game. He was sharp at home against the Jets, completing 12-of-19 passes for 188 yards and 2 TDs. He did not throw an interception and provided excellent leadership and energy.

Mark Sanchez continues to stack poor games on top of one another. Sanchez was under pressure throughout He completed 9-of-24 passes for 124 yards and he did not throw a touchdown pass. His first-half interception ended a sure-fire touchdown bid in the first half.

Tony Romo completed 19-of-28 passes for 209 yards and 2 TD passes. He was consistent and his scoring pass at the end of the third quarter allowed the Cowboys to tie the game and turn momentum in their favor.

Another disaster for the Eagles. Michael Vick had to leave the game with a concussion in the first half and backup Nick Foles had an interception returned for a touchdown and also a fumble returned for a score.

Sam Bradford helped the Rams bounce back from a disastrous loss to the New England by fighting for five quarters against the heavily favored Niners. Bradford threw 2 TD passes and did not throw an interception.

Big trouble for the 49ers as Alex Smith had to leave the game with a concussion in the first half. Colin Kapernick was functional in a backup role, but he was not able to give the Niners a winning effort.

Prior to leaving the game with a concussion at halftime, Bears quarterback Jay Cutler ran for 37 yards on three carries. However, neither Cutler nor Houston quarterback Matt Schaub was able to direct a consistent passing game in the driving Chicago rain storm.

Backup quarterback Jason Campbell was ineffective in relief of Cutler. He looked skittish and his passes lacked accuracy. Schaub threw 2 interceptions and was merely a game manager against the Bears’ overpowering defense.